Foldable cabinet



Aug. 18, 1953 E. D. BACKUS ET AL 3 0 FOLDABLE CABINET Filed July 27. 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 18, 1953 E. D. BACKUS ET AL 3 FOLDABLE CABINET Filed July 27, l948 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 18, 1953 E. D. BACKUS ETAL 2,649,35O

FOLDABLE CABINET Filed July 27. l948 5 Shee'gs-Sheet 5 grwwwtow Patented Aug. 18, 1953 UNITED FOLDABLE CABINET Edward Dickerson Backus and Jack Siegel, Bennettsville, S. C.

Application July 27, 1948, Serial No. 40,964

1 Claim.

This invention rela-tes to kitchen cabinets.

An object of this invention is to provide a kitchen cabinet which is pre-finished at the mill or factory, and which includes hingedly connected together side and front walls, adapted during the shipping of the cabinet to be folded upon each other so as to form a relatively thin package.

The cabinet by reason of its initially collapsed Construction will form a very thin or small package, reducing shipping space and storage space, in addition to providing ease of handling before the cabinet is finally set up for use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cabinet which is packaged in collapsed form with the parts thereof pre-finished so that the parts including the finish will not be damaged during shipment, and each cabinet may be easily and quickly set up with a minimum of tools, and with little chance of the parts becoming injured during shipment, assembling or h-andling, either before or after the carton has been opened.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cabinet which is formed of a minimum of parts and wherein the exterior surface of the cabinet is not marred by filled holes, the interior parts being secured to the outer panels from the inside of the outer panels by fastening means which do not project through the outer panels.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved method of constructing and assembling cabinets which will conserve space and assure the safe arrival of the cabinets in collapsed condition and subsequent safe assembling.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of Construction disclosed in the drawings and specication, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail front elevation of a cabinet constructed according to an embodiment of this invention, showing the cabinet in assembled or set up position,

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

, Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a detail front elevation, partly broken away, of the cabinet in collapsed position.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cabinet in collapsed position,

Figure 8 is a detail rear elevation of a modified form of this invention,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a sectional View taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 9,

Figure 11 is a fragmentary top plan of one corner of the cabinet shown in Figures 8 to 10,

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic View in perspective, showing the manner in which the cabinet is initially assembled,

Figure 13 is a perspective View showing the cabinet in partially assembled condition,

Figure 14 is a perspective view showing another step in the assembling of the cabinet,

Figure 15 is a perspective View showing the cabinet in substantially assembled condition,

Figure 16 is a perspective View looking from the bottom showing the mounting of the bottom rail or board,

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the cabinet in completely assembled condition.

Referring to the drawings and first to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, the numeral 20 designates generally a front wall or panel and the numerals 2! and 22 designate generally opposite side walls which are hingedly connected to the opposite edges of the front wall 20 as will be hereinafter described. The front wall 29 is formed adjacent the opposite vertical edges thereof and on the rear or inner side with vertical grooves 23 within which tongues 24 carried by the side walls 2l and 22 are ad'apted to engage when the cabinet is in assembled condition.

The side wall 2! has secured adjacent the upper portion thereof a horizontally disposed strip or reinforcing bar 25 which may be secured by glue or other fastening means, and the side wall 2! also has fixed to the inner side thereof a lower horizontally disposed bottom wall supporting bar 26. The side wall 2l is hingedly connected to the adjacent portion of the front wall 20 by means of a pair of L-shaped hinge members 21 which are fixed by fastening means 28 to the upper and lower reinforcing bars 25 and 26 and the hinge members 21 have the forward side or leg 29 thereof pivotally secured on a pivot member 30 which engages in the upper and lower reinforcing bars 3l and 32 fixed to the inner side of the front wall 20.

The side wall 22 is hingedly secured to the opposite portion of the front wall 20 by means of upper and lower L-shaped hinge members 33 which are fixed by fastening means 34 to the upper and lower reinforcing bars and 26, and are pivotally secured on a pivot member 35 engaging the upper and lower rails or bars 3! and 32. The forward leg or side 36 of the hinge member 33 is substantially shorter in length than the forward leg or side 29 so that when the cabinet is in coilapsed position, as shown in Figure 6; the side member 22 will be disposed in confronting position to the front' wall' 20 and the side member 2! will be disposed in overlapping position with respect to the side 22.

The side walls 2! and 22 also have fixed thereto intermediate bars or strips 37, and the front wall 20 has fixed thereto an intermediate rail E;

or bar 38. The rail or bar 38 provides a sp`- porting means for the forward ends of; a pair of drawer guide and supporting members 39. The front bar or rail 33 is formed with* a' re= duced thickness portion 413 and the opposite ends of the' drawer guide` bars' 39 are formed with slots 41 so that the forward' ends of the guide members 39- wi11 loosely eng'age' the reduce'd rail portion 40.

An -*upper drawer guide member 12 is provided with slotted opposite ends 4-3' which at their forward=ends engag`e reduced' thickness portions 44 formed in the upper rail or bar' a; A rear wall or panel i' is Secured to the rear of the cabinet, V V

inwhich the slotted rear ends of the upper guide bars 42' are adapted toloosely or fioatingly engage. An intermediate horizontal bar EQ'is also fixed to'the inner side of the'rear wall or panel 45, being ormed withreduc'ed thickness portions 5i within which= the slotted` rear' ends of the drawer guide membersare adapted to loosely' or' oatingly engage.

The front wall* 25 is' formed with' a pair of drawer' openings 52 through which drawers' 53 are adapted to siidingiy engageand the drawers iare'formed with 'a slot 54' in the rear wall 55 there'of so that the rear or inner portion of the drawer will slidingly engage the guide bar 39 which latter member will hold the drawer against undue lat'eral movement. but in view of the ioose mounting of the'guide'bar 39 the front wall or pane'i 56' of the drawer s will beable to engage'fiat "against theforward side of the front walizfl Their-ont panel or wall 26 is also formed=with a pair of r'e'latively large openings 51 which are closed by means of doors or closure members 58 m'ountedon hinges 59: AI door puli 69 is se cured to each door or closure 53, and' aconventionalspring bolt si is adapted to hold thedoor 65'- in closed` position. A verticaily' disposed' rei'n'forcing bar 52 is Secured' by* fastening means 53 to the inner side of the front wall 2 0 betweenthe door' openings 51 When the side walls 24- and 22 are in assembied condition, an angle member sa' is Secured at the joint between the side and front walls asi shown inFigure 2.

Thebackor rear wall d=has fixed tothe *lower portion thereof a lower reinforcing bar. 85- whichalsoconstitutes' a bottom supporting rail; for

supporting the rear portion of a bottom panel 66. The bottom panel 66 is adapted to engage on the lower rails or bars 26 carried by the side walls 21 and 22, and engage on the front rail or bar 32 and also on the rear bar or rail 65. A reinforcing bar ET is secured to the lower side of the bottom member 66, extending between the front and rear bars or rails 32 and 65, and at least one fastening member or screw 6 8 is extended through the bottom member 66 and the reinforcing bar E? and is threaded into a rearwardly offset vertical wall 69 which is formed with a tongue at the opposite ends thereof engaging in a vertical groove 10 formed in each i of the side walls: It will be understood that any suitable top wall such as 'H or the like may be fixed to the top. of the cabinet.

Referring now to Figures 8 to` 11, there is disclosed a wall cabinet which is formed of a front wall '12, opposite side walls 13, a rear wall 14 and top and bottomiwalls 15: and 76. Th'e'side walls 13 are hingedly connected to the front' wall 72 in the same manner as-the side` walls 21 and 22 are connected to the front wall 20 so that the side walls '13 may be coilapsed to a paralleL and overlapping position with respect to each other and par'allel with the front wall 72; The: side walls 73 are provided with upper and: lower grooves ?sa and' 'ET within which top and'bottbm walls ?t and 1-6 area adapted' to* engage and reinforcing bars 1 8 and 19 are fixed to' the upper and lower po-rtions of the 's'ide vvail's-'IB'` and pro vide a supporting means for the top andbottom walls 75 and 75) The front' wall 'iz h-asareinforcing bar EO fiXed to the upper portionthereof anda lower r einforcingbar 31-. The rear wall 14- ha's fixed to the' forward or inner side thereof upper and lower reinforcing bars 82 and 83 respectively, which have their upper edges flushwith the side bars '18- and 'l-respectiveiy;

In o rder'to-hang the wall cabinet on the' wall; a' pair'of horizontaily disposed* v--shaped bars 84 and' 85'are fixed to'the wall SSjand' a complementar'y pair of V-shaped bars 81 and 88 arefixed to the rear' side of the rear wall 14 and are adapted to eng-age'the stationary' bars 84' and' 85 as shown in' Figure 9. In this manner the wall' cabinet Will be' firmiy' supported from' the wall; but' at' the sametime may be removed from the wall if desired.

It will' be understand that the cabinets hereinbefredescribed will be completely finished at' the mili o'r factory and when the cabinet s' are stored or shipped; the cabinets are collapsed after the manner shown in Figure 6. The bottom panel 66 may be disposed on top of the coilapsed side wall 2l and the back or rear panel 55' may be disposed over the bottom panel 65.

As shown in Figure 3 one or more shelves. 89 may be disposed in these cabinets, being' positioned in selected Verticaliyspaced relation with respect to the bottom wall by means of angleshaped' brackets 90 having studs 91- engagingv in selected holes 92 formed in the side walls of the cabinet. The collapsed cabinet such as the cabinet shown in Figure &may be placed in a carton' 93 andwhen the receiver initially sets up the cabinet, the cover of the carton 93 is-removed and the carton with the collapsed cabinet may be set on the floor or other plane surface. The. side' walls such as 21 and' 22 may be swung upwardly as shown' in Figure 1-2;,to :a substantialiy' vertical position and then the bottom wallfifimay be engaged between the side walls ZI and 22, as shown in Figura 13. With the bottom Wall 35 in assembled position, the back wall 25 may then be Secured to the side walls 21 and 22, as shown in Figure 14. At this time the cabinet is in substantially assem-bled condition and the cabinet still partially disposed within the carton 93 is then turned upright, as shown in Figure 14 and the carton removed.

The inner foot -rail or board 69 may at this time be engaged in the grooves ?ti of the side walls 2| and 22 by tilting the cabinet rearwardly as shown in Figure 16. When the cabinet is in its collapsed position the door pulls or handles se are reversed, being secured on the inner sides of the doors, as shown in Figure 6 so that the door pulls or handles Bi] will not project from the doors and will not be injured or require additional filling means in the carton before the cabinet is set up.

When the cabinet is set up the handles may be reversed to position them on the forward sides of the doors and the drawers which are separately packed in assembled condition may then be slid into the drawer openings 52. A suitable top wall may be secured to the top of the cabinet and the completely assembled cabinet may then be disposecl in a fixed position within a kitchen or other room.

With a Construction and method as hereinbefore described, the cabinet is completely nished and suitable waX paper or the like may be interposed between the finished surfaces of the parts so that the parts will not stick together. This manner of constructing a cabinet Will conserve a great amount of space both in shipment and storage and will also provide means whereby the cabinet will not be damaged in handling so that the assembled cabinet will be in the same condition as when intially constructed and finished at the mill or factory.

We do not mean to -confine ourselves to the exact details of Construction herein disclosed but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claim.

What we claim is:

A cabinet adapted to be prefinished and 6 shipped in collapsed form, and forming in assembled set-up condition a rigid cabinet comprising a front wall, side walls, a back panel, a bottom wall, and vertical reinforoing bars Secured to said front wall, and of slightly lesser length than the height' thereof, adjacent the sides thereof, vertical grooves in said front wall outwardly of said bars, tongues on the edges of said side walls engageable in said grooves and flat L-shaped hinge members each having one leg pivotally secured to one end of one of said reinforcing bars and the other leg fixedly secured to an adjacent edge of one of said side walls; the pivotally Secured legs of the hinges secured to opposite ends of one of said reinforcing bars being longer than those secured to the other of said reinforcing bars and the pivotally Secured longer leg having its pivot spaced a greater distance from the adjacent side wall and the outer vertical edge of its associated reinforcing member than the pivot point of the other pivotally Secured leg is spaced from its adjacent side wall and the outer edge of its associated rei'forcing member Whereby said side walls will fold in overlapping relation.

EDWARD D. BACKUS.

JACK SIEGEL.

References cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 242355 Nicholas May 31, 1881 280,()13 Canessa June 26, 1883 309,l92 Brothers Dec. 16, 1884 825518 1 Russell July 10, 1906 &55,623 Gideon June 4:, 1907 969,&* Braen 1 Sept. 6, 1910 1,008,57 1 Weinstock Nov. 14, 1911 1,169,328 Holtgrewe Jan. 25, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,640 Great Britain 1911 151346 Great Britain Oct. 7, 1920 

